By age four, children who live in poor families will have heard 32 million fewer words than children living in professional families. One in five of America’s children below the age of five lives in poverty.

The family is the most powerful influence on a child’s ability to succeed. Literacy is the foundation on which all learning is based.

Family literacy is a proven intergenerational approach that improves the literacy, language and life skills of both parents and children.

Long-term research verifies that family literacy programs produce significant results: Adults obtain and keep employment, a higher percentage of adults achieve GED equivalency, and the amount of literacy activity in the home increases by 80 percent.

Additionally, children participating in family literacy programs are rated higher by their teachers than a randomly selected comparison group in terms of overall academic performance, motivation to learn, attendance, and likelihood of future success.

Adults who participate in family literacy often pursue educational and job-related goals, such as earning a high school diploma or GED, learning English, and gaining computer skills.  Uniquely, they also have opportunities to learn how to create a learning environment at home, regardless of their current literacy level. Children receive age-appropriate instruction that prepares them for school and starts them on a path of lifelong learning.

Family literacy teaches families that they can learn together, that learning is a mutual process, that learning is fun, and—significantly—that education has a beneficial social impact as well as a financial one.

All parents want their children to succeed, and all parents have valuable experiences that can help their children succeed. By incorporating strategies for supporting children’s literacy development in the educational experiences of adults, family literacy makes parent involvement more effective and meaningful.

Many different types of programs incorporate family literacy strategies, from summer reading programs in libraries to community youth programs to elementary schools to job-preparation programs. With its focus on the family as a catalyst for change, family literacy forges an educational bond between parent and child that will last for generations to come.